The present invention relates to apparatus for manipulating photographic films and receptacles (especially envelopes) for such films. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for applying related indicia to photographic films and associated receptacles.
Economical treatment of photographic films in a processing laboratory can be achieved only if customer films are connected to each other to form a relatively long web which is thereupon transported through a developing machine, a copying machine and a severing unit which latter subdivides the web into discrete films or sections of films ready to be introduced into envelopes which are thereupon mailed or delivered to, or picked up by, dealers and/or customers. Moreover, an important prerequisite for economical processing of films is to insure that the trailing end of each preceding film is automatically spliced to the leader of the next-following film. It is already known to use an automatic apparatus which has a dark chamber for reception of cassettes or analogous containers for exposed but undeveloped customer films. The cassettes are shipped, mailed or delivered to the laboratory in envelopes which normally carry indicia identifying the dealer or the customer, depending upon whether the envelopes (with exposed but undeveloped customer films therein) are obtained from dealers or directly from customers. An attendant removes the cassettes from the respective envelopes and feeds them into the dark chamber wherein the cassettes are relieved of films (this may but need not always involve partial or complete destruction of cassettes), the films are spliced to each other end-to-end to form an elongated web, and the web is collected on the core of a reel which is ready for transport into the developing machine. As a rule, the web consists of at least 100 discrete customer films. The conversion of a large number of discrete films into a convoluted web takes up a relatively short interval of time.
As mentioned above, only the envelopes in which the cassettes for customer films are delivered or shipped to a processing laboratory carry indications identifying the customer or dealer, e.g., each such envelope can be provided with the address of a customer or dealer. As a rule, each envelope contains a single cassette. Neither the cassette nor the exposed film therein contains any identification, i.e., the employees in the processing laboratory must provide each film with indicia which render it possible to properly associate the developed films (or sections of developed films) and the prints (if any) with the corresponding envelopes. Any errors in identification of films would render proper assembly of envelopes and films impossible, especially in a large and fully automated processing plant. Complaints by customers or dealers would be to no avail since the films and the prints, together with the envelopes, normally leave the processing plant practically immediately upon completion of the order.
It was already proposed to utilize two-piece labels one section of which is attached to a film at the splicing station where the film is united with the preceding or next-following film and the other section of which is attached to the corresponding envelope. The two sections of each label carry identical or related indications which can be decoded by an automatic reader. Such two-piece labels are used in addition to customary uniting bands which serve to connect the films end-to-end. The just described prior proposal exhibits several drawbacks, especially as regards the complexity of film transport and of the means for attaching one section of each label to the respective film. Moreover, the other section of each label must be transported along an elongated path before it reaches the locus of application to the corresponding envelope; this will be readily appreciated since the envelopes are normally transported outside of whereas the (non-developed) films are transported in the interior of a dark chamber. An additional drawback of the just discussed prior proposal is that those sections of adhesive-coated labels which are attached to films ahead of the developing machine are likely to become separated from the films during transport through various stations of such machine. Still further, the ribbon of labels which are to be applied in part to films and in part to associated envelopes must be transported with an extremely high degree of accuracy because even minor deviations (e.g., in the range of one or more millimeters) are likely to result in excessive shifting of the separation line between the sections of a label. This leads to improper identification of films and prevents the introduction of such films into appropriate envelopes.